Moonlight
by Rabia
Summary: A look at the family of Faramir and Eowyn after The War of the Ring. Written for the Mathoms giftfic challenge.


Disclaimer: All characters belong to Tolkien.

Author's Notes: This was written for the Mathoms holiday gift-fic challenge, the community for which can be found at: .

Please don't archive without asking me first. 

A huge thankyou to Joey for beta-reading this.

****

Moonlight

"Faramir?"

"Mmm?," He murmured, not looking up from the book in his lap. A mild frown passed over Eowyn's face as she came into the dimly lit study. 

Feigning a hurt tone she said, "Well, if you're not all that interested I'll just go and see if Elboron wants to feel the baby kicking."

Faramir's lips twitched at his wife's teasing, rose and moved to her side. He kissed her gently in apology. He placed a hand on her pregnant stomach, feeling the sharp little prod of a foot or fist against his palm. It was so strong, so alive. He drew his wife closer, into an embrace.

"It's beautiful," he said, kissing her forehead, "And so are you."

Eowyn gazed at him lovingly. It was times like these, when they were just together, enjoying each other's company that she could hardly believe this was happening. She had never seen herself finding happiness. Contentment maybe, but never this. To find someone who loved her, who found her beautiful and for whom she could find love also. No, she had never expected that. 

They stood together before an open window, pale moonlight slanting to the floor. A slight wind moved through the room, bringing with it a mild chill. Eowyn shivered slightly and he immediately brought his hands to her shoulders; for a moment he considered telling her to get a cloak, but the thought was quieted with one stern look from her grey eyes. If she felt she needed to be warmer, she could take precautions without being told, and he mustn't fret. She had scolded him before for 'acting like an old woman,' as she put it, during her first pregnancy. So he only hugged her tighter, wrapping his arms round her waist and smelling the clean smell of her hair.

Eowyn rested her cheek against his shoulder, relaxing into his strength. She felt so warm, so safe, so loved. She moved back a little and kissed him, a bit harder than usual, but she was so happy…

The small knock at the door made them both jump, and they moved apart a little as Elboron stumbled into the room, trailing a blanket behind him and blinking sleep from tired eyes.

"Mummy, I can't sleep."

Faramir moved towards their son, placing a hand affectionately on his head. "Why can't you sleep Elboron? 

He managed to hide the twist of anxiety that he felt at hearing those words; both parents had suffered from nightmares before. Elboron had never complained of anything of the kind, but Faramir's own memories served to fuel fears of how the child would feel if he did.

He glanced at Eowyn, her own nervous glance telling him she had been thinking the same thing.

"I don't know," Elboron yawned and blinked tiredly, one hand toying with the bottom of his father's tunic, "I just can't."

Faramir ruffled his hair playfully. "Well, we'll see about that. Here, come see if you can feel the baby kicking."

Elboron woke up a little at this. With his blanket still clutched in one hand, he carefully placed the other on his mother's stomach. For a moment, nothing happened; then his eyes grew wide with excitement.

"I felt it!"

Eowyn smiled and bent, with some discomfort, to hug her son. 

"Now, you need to go to bed love, it's very late," she paused for a moment at Elboron's disappointed face, "maybe if you ask daddy very nicely, he might tell you a story from one of his books."

She glanced at her husband, and he nodded with good-humoured reluctance. Faramir picked up the end of the blanket, gently leading the boy out of the room and to the stairs. 

---

It took the entire account of the deeds of Gildor before Elboron finally dropped off. Faramir came tiredly down from the bedroom to find his wife sat in front of the window, her eyes closed, moonlight highlighting her golden hair. He moved quietly so as not to wake her, but as he bent to cover her sleeping form, her eyes opened and she smiled up at him.

"Did he settle?"

"Just the small matter of purging every last detail from me," he said, with a wry grin. "Honestly, I never thought raising a child required so much energy." 

"No more Glorfindel I hope. I spent the best part of last week chasing balrogs from his room."

He laughed

"Nope, only this time."

She smiled at this. "You're doing a fine job you know."

He nodded silently in half-agreement. They had both had worries about parenthood. Eowyn, bless her, had dealt with it the way she dealt with every thing; practically and calmly. Being a mother had somehow suited her, although she seemed to find herself lacking in feminine attributes.

His own anxieties were more of a nagging doubt, of which his wife was all too aware. He just wanted to get it right.

He looked up to find Eowyn looking at him.

"Don't think on it too much, you're doing fine," she said, seriously.

He nodded again. "It worried me for a moment back there, when he said he couldn't sleep. I can't help remember when I was a child…

"We've both seen those days," her face grew grave, "and yes, sometimes I worry too that he might have nightmares. But we had our reasons. Elboron is safe, he has us."

"Mmm."

Faramir took her hands and kissed them gently.

There was moment of silence between them.

"Elboron's so excited about the baby. He was telling me today about all the things he'll have to do when he becomes a big brother."

Faramir laughed, glad that the brief tension was broken, "Speaking of big brothers, I don't know about Elboron, but your brother seems as excited about this one as he was about the first."

She smiled.

"He just likes being an uncle." 

Faramir sighed and wrapped his arms around her. They sat at the window; moonlight making blue shadows play across their silent faces. Two people, who had fought for what they believed in for so long. The scene was familiar, the two of them, gazing out over the landscape. But now, they were only gazing, not searching. Not waiting for doom over the smoke filled horizon, but for sunrise. They had found their peace, in each other and could wait, their arms intertwined, for a dawn they knew would come.

…..

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